


Conch Shell

by Shad0wM1st



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: A LOT of Angst, AU - no killing game, Angst, Apologies, Chiaki helps a bit, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fuyuhiko is helpful but still a tough guy, Gundam wants to help Souda but is still insecure, Hajime loves his orange juice and his friends, Hope, Komaeda is just being Komaeda, M/M, Mainly Soudam, Mikan is here for a bit, Monokuma is a mischevious little shit, Orange juice - Freeform, POV mainly follows Souda, Panic Attacks, Sonia is trying her best, Souda drinking soda, Swearing, Usami doesn't like Monokuma picking on her students, background Komahina, bagel - Freeform, beach, fluff near the end, the devas want Gundam to be happy :), we still love you Mikan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-11
Updated: 2017-03-12
Packaged: 2018-10-02 13:35:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10219469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shad0wM1st/pseuds/Shad0wM1st
Summary: Souda only wanted to relax, but ended up ruining both his and Gundam's day by mistake. Now he wants to try to make it up to him, but he may need to apologize for more than that.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by two things: an old fanfic prompt I had in mind and a scene in SDR2 that shows Gundam building a sand castle. I considered making this a oneshot, but it's going to be a longer fanfic. This is my first longer fanfic, so there might be some errors.

Souda needed time to relax. Despite being taken to this island to have fun and socialize, he was internally suffering. He wanted to take his mind off Sonia, off Monokuma, off everything that’s giving him stress. He would usually tinker with his machines, but it wasn’t enough this time. Not only did he not have that much to tinker with, but he would become distracted from his work by all his thoughts, which only made him even more frustrated. He finally decided to ask Hinata for advice to relieve himself of these nagging thoughts. He suggested the beach since the weather seemed perfect for just that.

              And so, there he was, at the beach in a pair of yellow swim trunks with swim goggles, a towel, and a shovel and pale. Hinata had given him the goggles, shovel, and pale as a gift to use at the beach. He laid the towel on the sand and sat down, setting all his stuff beside him. Looking out at the bright blue sky against the darker shade of blue from the water, he felt more calm than before. The sun casted rays of light onto his skin, but the light breeze kept a balance in the weather that resulted in a perfect climate. The sound of waves crashing and receding provided background noise for the beautiful scenery, and it all seemed to lull Souda into a state of peacefulness.

              Too bad it was disturbed by the loud, baritone voice of Gundam Tanaka.

              “Shark-toothed mortal! I require your assistance!” Gundam shouted, causing Souda to yelp and scramble to his feet.

              “What the- Gundam? The hell was that for?! You nearly gave me a heart attack!” Souda yelled at the taller.

              Souda looked at Gundam from head to toe. He wasn’t in his regular clothing, but rather wore black swim trunks. He still had his scarf wrapped around his neck, which probably also harbored his four ~~hamsters~~ Devas, and the bandages on his left arm. He was definitely not pleased to see him; Gundam was probably the main source of his stress. Sonia always stayed close to him than Souda, so that would obviously lead to Souda developing a grudge against the taller male.

“Silence, mortal! I do not intend to end your life so quickly, especially with my mere presence. Rather, I’ve only come to make a request.” Gundam crossed his arms over his bare chest.

              “Well, what do you want?”

              “The trowel and, what the pointed-hair mortal calls, a ‘pale.’ I wish to borrow it.”

              “What?” Souda looked down at the shovel and pale, and then back at Gundam. “Why would you need them?”

              “I wish to construct a great fortress for my Dark Devas of Destruction to rule, but it is more time-consuming without any proper equipment. You, however, possess tools that could aid me in my task, so I would like to borrow it from your possession.”

              “So, let me get this straight; you want to borrow my shovel and pale so you can build a sand castle?”

              “Precisely.”

              The tension visible on his body seemed to lessen at Gundam’s response. Souda was honestly glad that Gundam just wanted to use the bucket to build a sand castle, and he was completely fine with that. He didn’t mind Gundam’s presence or if he had to look at him- he didn’t envy him _that_ much- and was willing to let him use the bucket and shovel; he wasn’t planning to use it, anyway. If Gundam didn’t make too much noise or bother him, then he had no qualms with Gundam building a sand castle for his hamsters.

              “Okay, sure. You can borrow it. Just leave me alone unless you’re returning it, alright?” Souda’s tone seemed more irritated than he intended it to be.

He reached down and lifted the bucket by the handle, offering it to Gundam. He took and examined it, but then began to fiddle with the handle. Souda watched him fumble with it for several seconds until finally speaking: “What are you trying to do?”

              “I’m trying to free this trowel from the pale, but I don’t know how I’m supposed to remove it from the handle.” Gundam didn’t even bother to look at Souda as he continued to fumble with the plastic beach toy.

              Souda was confused until he observed the green toy and discovered what he meant; the handle on the shovel was hanging off the handle of the bucket. Gundam was trying to detach one end of the handle from the bucket but didn’t know how.

              “Oh, have you never used one of these before? Here, let me help you.” Souda offered as he reached for the bucket, but it was jerked away from his grasp.

              “What are trying to do, mortal?! Do you really wish for death?! I thought I’ve already warned you of the poison running through my veins!” Gundam barked as he seemed to cower away from Souda’s outstretched hands.

              “Hey, calm down, dude. I was just going to help you unhook the shovel from the bucket. I know how to do it.”

              “O-oh. Well, in that case, then you may proceed.” He gave the bucket to Souda.

              Souda detached one end of the handle from the bucket and pulled the shovel off the handle, placing it in the bucket. He then forced the small hook back through the handle’s socket, reattaching it to the bucket, and extended it toward Gundam for him to take. Unexpectedly, his hands hit something midway, and when he turned his head to see what was blocking him, he was met with the surprised and panicked expression on Gundam’s face. He looked down to see Gundam’s chest, which was what had blocked his hands.

              Oh. _Oh shit_.

              Both men jumped away from each other simultaneously with shocked expressions. Several moments of silence passed until Gundam’s face contorted into a frown. “What in the name of the gods were you thinking, you fool?! The poison could be killing you right now as we speak!” Gundam’s outburst brought Souda attention back to the real world, but he was not any happier than Gundam.

              “What was I thinking?! I didn’t know you were right next to me! Why were you so close to me, anyway?!” Souda argued, barring his sharp teeth in a snarl.

              “I was merely observing you separating the trowel from the pale, but that doesn’t matter right now. Your mortal flesh had come in contact with my tainted flesh! The poison is already coursing through your veins! There’s no telling how long you’ll have to live before my poisonous touch completely corrupts and destroys your body!”

              “Really, poison? Poisonous touch my ass! I’m completely fine!” Souda took a step forward, but Gundam took a step back in response.

              “You do not understand what you’re saying, mortal! It may not currently appear that the poison has affected you, but you will eventually see the effects it will have on your body!”

              “Gundam, just stop it with this poison bullshit! I’m not going to die!”

              “Yes, you will! You don’t understand- “

              Souda had had enough of this argument.

              Souda quickly approach Gundam, who didn’t have enough time to react, and grabbed his right wrist with his hand. “See, look! I’m fine, Gundam. I don’t know why the hell you say that you have poison in your blood, but it’s clearly bullshit.” Souda held up Gundam’s wrist between them while using his free hand to point at his hand that was still gripping his wrist.

              Gundam’s face immediately changed from anger to something Souda didn’t expect: fear. It only lasted for a quick moment before it changed back to rage. He jerked his wrist away from the other, freeing himself from his grip, and backed away from Souda while holding his wrist in his other hand close to his chest. It was like he was cowering away from the other, like a caged yet ferocious animal trying to protect itself from the human caretakers who had entered its cage. Souda’s expression changed in response from rage to shock and confusion. “Gundam? Why are you- “

              “Don’t touch me, mortal!” Gundam barked as his mouth curled into a snarl and his four Devas poked their heads out from under the scarf and growled at him.

              “W-what? Gundam, just calm down. Why don’t you want me to- “

              “I SAID DON’T TOUCH ME!!”

              Then Gundam turned and ran, and damn, he was fast. Souda didn’t even have time to respond before he was already almost halfway to the changing rooms. He just left Souda there, completely speechless. Was he confused? Yes. Did part of him want to run after him? Probably. Did he feel like an ass for some reason he cannot describe?

              That would be a definite yes.

              He may be the one who takes all of Sonia’s attention away from Souda and making him jealous; he may be on a completely different level of strange and weird; he may be a pain in the ass sometimes; but hell, _he’s still a human being who has feelings_ , no less Souda’s classmate. The way Gundam reacted to him grabbing his wrist made him feel like he just kicked a helpless animal; Gundam even _looked_ like a helpless animal during those few moments! Souda couldn’t help but let the feeling of guilt and despair weigh him down and force him onto his knees. He held his head in his hands, mentally kicking himself in balls.

              “Wow, never expected you to act like that. You acting like you two just broke up after a heartfelt relationship.” A masculine voice caused him to lift his head and turn his body to face the source of the voice.

              Fuyuhiko was standing a few feet behind him, hands in his pockets. “Hiko? How long have you been standing there for?” Souda stood up and faced the shorter male.

              “I’ve been listening to you two ever since Gundam gave you that beach toy. I didn’t expect this outcome, especially you looking like you just kicked an innocent puppy.” Hiko crossed his arms over his chest.

              “I honestly didn’t expect to feel like this either, dude. The guy just wanted to make a fucking sand castle. Now, I feel like a complete asshole.”

              “Still, I don’t know why you’d feel like total shit, especially since you seem to hate the guy’s guts.”

              “I don’t know either! I just came here to try and relax, but now, not only is my day ruined, but I’m pretty sure I ruined Gundam’s day, too.”

              “Well, moping around like a complete failure isn’t going to solve your situation, now is it?” Hiko’s tone seemed to be both comforting and insulting at the same time.

              “What?”

              “It’s clearly obvious that you feel like shit for upsetting Gundam, so unless you plan to spend the rest of your time crying like your life is so miserable, you should just go apologize to him and put it all behind you.”

              “… Who are you and what have you done with the real Fuyuhiko?” Souda crossed his arms over his chest and furrowed his eyebrows. Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, the Ultimate Yakuza, telling him to apologize to someone they _both_ don’t really like at all? Was the poison actually real and causing him to dream this all up while he’s really in a coma from the poison slowly killing him?

              “Hey, do you really think _I_ want to be giving you relationship advice?! I could’ve just left you here to ball your eyes out! But when I see a friend struggling from a situation like this, then I can’t just leave them to rot on their own. I don’t care if that Gundam guy is a complete freak; any good friend of Hajime’s is a friend of mine, and if you feel this bad for upsetting him, then he can’t be that bad of a person. So just go find him and make up, or else I’ll beat your ass for making me say all this sentimental shit for nothing!” Hiko yelled while holding up a fist, as if he would beat some sense into the other man if his words couldn’t do that.

              Souda was surprised by the sudden turn of events; Gundam acting like a scared dog just because Souda touched him; Hiko actually being helpful enough to say all that sentimental stuff; he was half expecting to run into Sonia later in the day to eventually learn that she’s dating _Nagito fucking Komaeda_. He didn’t know whether he wanted to be dreaming all this and really be in a poison-induced coma.

              “Hey, don’t start frolicking in la-la land and leaving me here to just talk to a fucking wall! Are you going to fix this or not?” Hiko’s voice snapped Souda back to reality.

              “S-sorry, I just didn’t expect all of this to happen- “

              “I don’t need you to apologize to me, Souda. It’s not me who you need to apologize to; it’s Gundam. I’m just giving you advice, and it’s up to you to decide whether to follow it or not. Like I said before, I don’t enjoy doing this kind of shit, but I’m doing it for you because you’re my friend. So you should go do something for not just yourself, but for someone else. I pretty sure you know who I’m referring to.” Hiko’s grumpy expression softened to a smirk.

              “… You’re right. I should go make it up to him. Thanks, Hiko.” Souda gave Hiko a grateful smile.

              “Well, I’m glad that I didn’t say all that shit for nothing. If you need help trying to think of a good apology, then I’d go find Hajime, if I were you. I would help you, but I’ve never been the best at making apologies.”

              “Thanks, man. I might as well go find Hajime right now. See you later.” He said as he grabbed his stuff and headed toward the locker rooms.

              “No problem, Souda. Good luck, you son of a bitch.” Hiko said as he walked off in the opposite direction.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Souda goes to a group of friends for help. During this whole event, he sees another side of Komaeda, Mikan shows up for a bit, and he meets with someone that he did not expect to be confronted by.

Souda, now wearing his signature beanie and yellow jumpsuit, was running frantically toward Hajime’s cottage. Hiko’s speech had boosted his spirits significantly, and he didn’t want this motivation to go to waste. While running, he past several of his classmates, most of whom gave him puzzled looks and wondered what had him in such a hurry. The only one who didn’t show confusion was Nekomaru, who instead cheered him on with a boisterous laugh as he ran. Soon, the hotel came into view, and he turned to bolt through the gates.

He only had a split second to see Komaeda in his path before the two collided and fell to the ground. In a panicked daze, he sat up a bit too quickly and groaned as his vision swam and his head throbbed with a dull ache. When his vision cleared, he could properly see the outstretched hand of Komaeda offering to help him stand. He took it while apologizing, and Komaeda helped him to his feet. “Sorry, Komaeda. I’m just in a hurry to find Hajime and I figured he would be in his cottage- “

              “It’s okay, Souda, and Hajime isn’t in his cottage right now. I just checked a few minutes ago.” Komaeda explained.

              “What? Then where is he?”

              “I don’t know. I was thinking about where to look for him, but then you showed up. I’m looking for Hajime, too, so I can help you. I’m always willing to help the Ultimates.” Komaeda’s smile was both amiable and somewhat creepy. Souda always saw him as odd and somewhat concerning, but he knew that Komaeda wasn’t too much of a threat.

              “Um, okay. Anyway, do you know where we could look for him?”

              “Unfortunately, I don’t, but I was thinking that I could call Usami for help.”

              “Yeah, that’s a great idea!” Souda’s face lit up with hope like a firework.

              “I’m glad that you find it helpful.” Komaeda admired the hope on Souda’s face as he took a deep breath. “HEY! USAMI! WE WOULD LIKE TO TALK TO YOU!”

              “Upupupupupu~! Sorry, but my dear sister is not available at the moment!” Monokuma had appeared out of nowhere, causing Souda to yelp in surprise when he spoke.

              “Monokuma?!” The hope on Souda’s face was replaced by a tinge of despair at the sight of the short bear. “What do you mean Usami isn’t available?! We wanted to talk to her, not you!”

              “Aww, I see how it is. You admire my sister so much, yet you show no love for your other teacher.” Monokuma stared at the ground in misery with little mushrooms on his head.

              “Well, since Usami isn’t available, you could still help us.” Komaeda’s mood hasn’t seemed to change that much, but there was a bit of disappointment in his eyes upon seeing Souda’s hope being washed away by despair.

              “R-really?! Oh, happy day! Oh joy of joy!” The bear’s mood suddenly did a 180 as he bounced on his heels with glee.

              “Yes. You see, Souda and I want to know where we could find Hajime. Do you know where we could find him?”

              “Oh, yes! He wants to see him so he can have some help trying to make up with his senpai?” His remarked with a teasing tone.

              “W-what?! No! I just wanted to apologize to him for upsetting him.” Souda yelled at the mischievous bear, trying to mask his chagrin.

              “Oh please, are you listening to yourself? You sound just like a tsundere! I know true love when I see it! The way you two blushed when you touched, the longing in both your eyes; you’re just in denial, I say! Denial!” Monokuma pestered the already embarrassed mechanic.

              “Souda? What is he talking about? Who do you want to apologize to?” Komaeda was just watching the two argue, but now he wanted some context.

              “I got Gundam upset and now I feel like a complete ass about it, so Hiko told me to go find Hajime for advice. Now, could you just tell us where he is, Monokuma?!” Souda turned back toward the bear.

              “Why should it?! Not only do you not have the guts to admit your love for your senpai, but you also don’t show me, your teacher, any respect! You kids don’t have any respect for your superiors, do you?!” Monokuma whined in frustration.

              “Guys, please. We don’t need to argue about this. All we would like is to know where we can find Hajime.” The luckster held both of his hands in front of him. It wasn’t clear whether he was trying to show that he didn’t want to argue or if he was doing it for self-defense.

              “Komaeda’s right, you guys!” A cheerful yet serious voice was followed by the appearance of Usami.

              “Oh thank god, am I glad to see you.” Souda sighed in relief.

              “I’m glad to see you, too, Souda. However, I’m not happy to see you two arguing so much! This isn’t what school spirit is about!”

              “Oh, shut up, Usami! It’s not like I wanted to be here!” Monokuma argued.

              “It doesn’t seem like it. You actually seem to be enjoying this!” Souda retorted.

              “Enough! Monokuma, you will stop harassing our students at once!” Usami demanded.

              She bopped Monokuma on the head with her wand. He rubbed his head before attempting a punch to her face, but she smacked him across the face with her wand again. He growled in annoyance as he rubbed his cheek. “Fine! Have it your way!” He shouted before vanishing.

              “Oh, thank god, he’s gone! Thank you, Usami.” Souda smiled with relief.

              “You’re welcome! Anyway, you guys wanted to know where you could find Hajime, right?”

              “Yeah! Do you know where he is?”

              “He’s in the hotel lobby playing arcade games with Chiaki.”

              “Well, that’s conveniently close. Thanks.”

              “No problem. See you later~!” She waved goodbye before disappearing.

              “C’mon, Komaeda, let’s go!” Souda’s mood quickly brightened as he grabbed the luckster by the wrist and dragged him toward the lobby. Komaeda just smiled and allowed Souda to lead them to their destination.

              The two entered the lobby to see Hajime talking to Chiaki, who was playing a video game on a handheld console. Despite her eyes being glued to the small screen, she never faltered in her conversation with Hajime. They were both sitting on the couches opposite to one another, and on the coffee table were two glasses, a plastic jug of orange juice, and a large bottle of cola. Hajime’s glass was half-filled with orange juice, but Chiaki’s glass of soda was still full, hinting that she hadn’t yet touched the beverage. Two bagels sat in Hajime’s lap on an unfolded napkin. One was already half-eaten, but the other was left untouched.

              Souda walked over to them and leaned over the armrest of the couch that Hajime was sitting. Hajime looked at the mechanic with confusion and surprise, leaning away from the other subconsciously. “Hajime, you gotta help me, man!” Souda practically begged.

              “Hey, calm down, Souda. What’s wrong?” The other asked with concern for his pink-haired friend.

              “He apparently upset Gundam and wants you to help him think of an apology.” Komaeda explained as he strolled over to the group and sitting between Souda and Hajime.

              Souda stood back up and sat next to Chiaki, who had tucked her game away to pay closer attention to Souda’s problem. “What did you do to upset him?” Chiaki asked curiously.

              “I just accidentally touched him, and he got all frustrated about it. I eventually got fed up and grabbed him by the wrist to prove to him that I’m not going to die from his poisonous touch, but he got really upset about that and then just ran off. Now I feel like an ass.” Souda said as he propped his elbows on his knees and held his head in his hands.

              “Wow, I’ve seen him react negatively to skin contact before, but he didn’t get that angry about it.” Hajime commented before taking a sip of orange juice.

              “Yes. It seems that either you did something significant that would explain his stronger reaction, or he has his own reasons for getting so upset.” Chiaki evaluated.

              “Well, why don’t you three work together to try to help Souda with his apology? With your hope combined, I’m sure that you guys could pull it off.” Komaeda suggested with a smile.

              “Hey, you’re gonna help, too. We could use all the help we can get, and I’m sure that you could help to think of something.” Hajime insisted.

              “Really? I’m honored that you’re willing to let trash like me help.” Komaeda praised, but Hajime wasn’t pleased with everything he said.

              “Komaeda, you aren’t trash, and stop calling yourself that. You’re our classmate and our friend. Of course we would want you to help us. Why wouldn’t we?” Hajime placed his hand on Komaeda’s shoulder and gave him a friendly, caring smile.

              Komaeda stared at his spiky-ahoge-bearing friend with surprise, but his expression softened into a warm smile. Souda noticed something different in the luckster’s mood; his smile seemed even more joyful than ever before. All the other times, Souda would feel uneasy whenever he smiled, regardless of the situation. This moment, however, lacked the tension he would usually feel when Komaeda smiled. In that smile, there was instead the warmness of happiness and appreciation, not from hope, but from feeling like he was welcomed and loved. For once, Souda didn’t feel uncomfortable around Komaeda; instead, he saw him as any other person, as a friend…

              Souda was finally seeing Komaeda as a friend with feelings and a heart, not some crazy weirdo who was addicted to hope and bagels.

              Souda couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He was taken aback at how Hajime could bring out the good in the white-haired male. Then again, Hajime was friends with everyone on the island; he even managed to get on Monokuma’s good side! This, however, was something more. He was still confused until the sound of Chiaki whispering into his ear brought him out of his thoughts.

              “Komaeda is Hajime’s best friend and vice versa. You seemed confused, so I just wanted to tell you that.” Chiaki whispered to Souda before standing up and making her way toward the stairs. “I’m going to get some more cups for you two. You guys want anything else?”

              “More orange juice, please.” Hajime requested, gesturing to the jug that was more than half-way empty.

              “Also bagels! A lot more bagels!” Komaeda added before snatching the uneaten bagel from Hajime’s lap and taking a chomp out of it before Hajime could react.

              “What about you, Souda?” She asked kindly.

              “I’m alright. I’ll just drink the soda left in this bottle.” He replied.

              She nodded with a friendly smile and began her ascent to the kitchen. Souda just hoped that if Teruteru was up there, he wouldn’t bother them or get involved. He doubted that the perverted chef would be of any help. He turned back toward the other two, who were both playfully wrestling for the bitten bagel. He admired how Hajime could befriend and motivate people with ease. Souda found it hard to understand how he could do it, but part of himself doubted that he would ever understand. Maybe he would learn someday.

              A small tap on his shoulder caught his attention, and he turned around to face a nervous Mikan. “Um… H-hi, Souda…” She stuttered with anxiety visible in her composure.

              Souda smiled as kindly and welcoming as he could without showing his pointed teeth. He knew that the nurse was extremely shy, so he tried his best to not make her upset or scared. “Hey, Mikan. What brings you here?” He welcomed the timid girl as nicely as he could.

              “Um… A-are you alright?”

              “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a bit stressed because of a problem, but other than that, I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

“I-I-I… uhh…” She trailed off and stared at her feet.

“Hey, Mikan. Is everything alright?” Chiaki greeted the nurse with a warm smile as she set down a tray onto the coffee table. It was loaded with two glasses, napkins, a new jug of orange juice, a regular-sized bottle of soda, and a small basket with several bagels.

“O-oh, h-hi, Chiaki.” The nurse faintly smiled at the gamer.

“What are you doing here? Are you just here to say hi, or is it something else?” Hajime asked her.

“I-if you w-w-want me to leave, then I’ll leave. I-I’m sorry if you don’t want me here!” The nurse reacted negatively to his tone of voice, despite it having no traces of contempt or irritation. A few tears began to form in her eyes, and her body began to tremble. It seemed that the poor girl was going to collapse on the spot!

“Really, Hajime? Bullying a girl? Not cool, dude.” Komaeda reprimanded him with a disappointed expression.

“What? I honestly didn’t mean to hurt her feelings! I just wanted to know why she’s here.” Hajime stated in defense.

“It’s alright, Hajime. I know you aren’t trying to hurt her feelings.” Chiaki responded before turning toward the nurse and smiling. “Don’t worry, Mikan, we don’t want you to leave. We would just like to know if there’s an important reason for you being here. You can tell us; we won’t judge you.” Chiaki’s voice and tone were both smooth and soft, as if they were wrapping anyone who was listening in silk using nothing but sound. Souda was stunned by how soothing her voice was.

“W-well...” The nurse seemed to calm down significantly after being assured by Chiaki. “G-Gundam wanted me to check up on Souda to see if he was okay. H-he seemed very worried, s-so I became worried that something b-bad happened.”

“Do you know why he sent you to check up on Souda?”

“N-no. H-he just told me to go check up on Souda ‘with haste.’ I-I’m sorry…”

“No, no. It’s okay. This is useful information. Thank you, Mikan.” Souda spoke up.

The nurse seemed to lighten up at the mechanic’s gratitude. “Well, if you want to, you can join us, but if you don’t want to, then that’s completely fine.” Chiaki said.

“I-I don’t want to stay. Sonia and Akane are p-probably expecting me at the super market. They w-wanted me to hang out w-with them.” Mikan explained.

“Alright. Hope you have a wonderful time hanging out with them.” Chiaki waved goodbye as Mikan nodded and hurriedly made her way outside.

“So, it seems that Gundam is concerned about your health.” Komaeda stated.

“It’s probably because he kept telling me that I would die from his poisonous touch. Does he really believe that it’s deadly?” Souda grabbed the bottle of cola and twisted it open with a _hiss_.

“I’m not sure. He’s never reacted that badly before, but maybe he meant to send her to see if you were still upset about the whole ordeal.”

“Well, I definitely feel bad for it.” He took several gulps of the fizzy beverage.

“Maybe you should talk to Sonia for advice. She does spend a lot of time with Gundam, so she might be able to help you.” Chiaki suggested.

Souda’s grip tightened around the bottle. “I-I don’t know about that, but I’ll keep it in mind.” He tried to push the thought of confronting Miss Sonia about this back into the recesses of his brain.

“You could find a gift for him at the store to make it up for him.” Hajime said.

“That’s a good idea, but I don’t know what I would get him that he would like.”

“Why don’t you just go apologize to him directly?” Komaeda spoke up.

“…What?”

“You seem so worried about this, but the best solution may just be staring you right in the face without you know it. You don’t necessarily have to make it all fancy or great, but just giving him a heartfelt apology would be enough.”

Souda was at a loss for words, so to speak. Maybe it’s because Komaeda’s idea was really good. He figured that it wouldn’t be that bad to just go up and apologize to him, but something was keeping him from agreeing with the notion. He worried that Gundam wouldn’t accept his apology or that his apology wouldn’t be good enough. He didn’t want to confront him; he _couldn’t just_ confront him. It needed to be good. He didn’t want to make it worse. How could he-

_Ding dong, bing bong._

Wait, it’s already 10 p.m.?

Souda didn’t hear the rest of Monokuma’s nighttime announcement due to being too stunned to pay attention. Did the day really go by that fast? He looked through the window to see that the sun had set and the only light sources were the pool lights. Hajime patted him on the shoulder. “Well, we can talk more about this tomorrow. I’m sure we can think of something. See you tomorrow.” He handed Souda a bagel wrapped in a napkin and began heading toward his cottage.

Komaeda and Chiaki waved goodbye as they left the building, and Souda eventually got up and left for his cottage, taking the bagel and soda with him. He figured that some time alone and some sleep would help him calm his nerves. Taking only a few steps outside, he was stopped by the voice of his dreams calling out to him.

“Souda! Could I ask you something? It’s important.” Sonia briskly approached him with no hesitation.

Souda stared at her for a few seconds before finally recovering from his internal freak out of excitement that Sonia was talking to him. “O-oh, of course, Miss Sonia! What is it?” He put on an adoring grin as he tried (and failed) to play it cool and act natural.

“Well, could we go to my cottage to talk? I have something very important to discuss with you.” She was clearly determined to talk to him about some important topic.

_Holyshitshe’sactuallytalkingtomefuckwhatdoesshewanttotalkaboutdoessheknowaboutwhathappenedwithGundamshitshitshitshit_

“S-sure…I don’t mind.” He blurted out. His demeanor seemed to falter with hesitation.

“Good. Come, let us go to my cottage.” Her voice had an effect on Souda’s mind, compelling him to follow her.

What has he gotten himself into.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit hits the fan, but hope ignites the fire needed to make things right

Sonia’s cottage was very orderly and uniform. Nothing was carelessly left on the floor, and nothing was out of place. He admired how organized and clean her room was compared to his own, which was a train wreck. He stood awkwardly by the doorway as Sonia neatly took off her shoes, placed them by the doorway, and took a seat on the couch by her bed. Souda followed her movements and took off his shoes, setting them beside hers. She smiled at him and his attempt to be a polite guest. “I appreciate your hospitality, Souda, but you don’t have to be so formal. You may be my guest, but you are also my fellow classmate. I want you to feel comfortable, so please, make yourself at home.” Her voice was melodious to Souda’s ears, but he couldn’t help but notice the compassion and honesty that was present in every word she spoke.

              He salvaged whatever confidence he could muster from her words and sat next to her, but tried to keep some distance between them. He may be ecstatic to be with Miss Sonia in her room, but he didn’t want to give her the wrong impression. He placed the bagel and bottle on the small table beside the couch. “S-so, what did you want to talk about?” He was internally suffocating from the stress and anxiety brewing within his mind, and despite trying to hide it, it was evident in his voice and on his face.

              “Well, let me first explain some concerns before I begin talking about the main reason I want to discuss with you.” She stated before addressing said concerns.

“You see, I met with Gundam sometime during the afternoon, but he seemed more reclusive than usual. I tried to persuade him to tell me what was wrong, but he refused every time. I’m very worried that something bad must have happened to him.”

              Souda was sweating at this point, and he kept his eyes glued to his lap and fidgeting hands. She knew that something was wrong, but how did she know that it involved him?

              “Later in the afternoon, I met with Akane and Mikan at the super market. She arrived a bit late and repeatedly apologized for her tardiness. When we asked her why she was late, she told us that Gundam had asked her to check on you to see if you were alright and that he seemed very concerned about you.”

              Well, that answers his question. He reached into his jumpsuit pocket and retrieved his wrench, fiddling with it in his hands nervously. He tried his best to brace himself for what she would eventually ask him, but nothing could calm him or his heart rate, which had spiked drastically in the past few minutes.

              “I concluded that the reason Gundam was upset must involve you in some significant way, so that is what I want to discuss with you, Souda.” She glanced at him to see that his once calm composure had completely faded.

              His eyes were glued on the wrench in his hands, fumbling with it nervously and sporadically. Beads of sweat had formed on his forehead, and his face expressed nothing but pure anxiety. So, this was the Souda underneath his chill exterior. She felt guilt for having him endure this intense stress, but she had to try to find some answers and try to offer help. “Souda, there’s nothing you need to worry about.”

              He jumped a bit and looked at her with an uneasy expression. “W-what?” He stuttered in response. She couldn’t tell if he heard what she said or not, but she continued nonetheless.

              “Souda, I know that you have a crush on me, and I know that you’re jealous of Gundam because of it.”

              The silence that followed her statement masked the internal sound of Souda’s mind exploding and shutting down simultaneously. His mind couldn’t handle any more surprises. He was hit with so many revelations, but the stress was building up as well. First Gundam got upset, then Hiko being nice to him, and then Monokuma being an ass, and then Komaeda being so normal and genuinely happy around Hajime, and now Sonia’s talk had driven his mind over the edge. She hated him; what other reason could there be? Why would anyone like someone like him? She hated him because she likes Gundam and he’s just a shallow, jealous idiot. There’s no way that the Ultimate Princess would ever want to date someone like him. He felt like the world as he knew it was shattering around him, and all he was doing was falling farther and farther and farther-

              _Slap!_ “Souda! Listen to me!”

              He was on the floor, having a panic attack, and a hand just slapped him across the face. His heart was pounding out of his chest, and he was hyperventilating. He had an iron grip on the wrench that was pressed closed against his chest. Sonia was kneeling beside him with worry and gripping his shoulders with both hands. He stared at Sonia, never breaking eye contact with her, and gradually calmed down. A hand wiped the sweat from his brow with a purple cloth-

              Sonia hadn’t moved her hands from his shoulders. _That hand wasn’t her hand_.

              Now thinking about it, he realized that voice wasn’t hers, either. He turned his head to his right to see Gundam staring back at him with a faint smile. The sight of the breeder only gave his mind another sudden burst of anxiety. His brain kicked back into overdrive and his heartrate spiked.

              _He needed to leave right now._

              His body moved swiftly as he stood up and bolted for the door. He grabbed his shoes, too focused to put them on, and burst out the cottage. He couldn’t tell if Gundam or Sonia had even begun to pursue him, and he didn’t care. He just needed to go, to escape. He rushed passed someone—he didn’t bother to identify who it was—and ran to his cottage. He quickly entered his room and slammed the door shut, locking it. He slowly backed away from the door until the back of his legs met the side of his bed. He could hear pounding and yelling coming from the door, but the sound of his heartbeat pounding in his ears muffled their cries. He slid to the floor, leaning against the side of the bed, and tucked his knees against his chest. The tears were beginning to drench his jumpsuit, and he couldn’t stop sobbing.

              He covered his ears with his hands, trying to completely rid himself of the noises coming from the door, but he could still hear them despite them being muffled by his heartbeat. He shook his head rapidly, hoping that they would just go away. “Please, leave me alone…please…” He spoke between sobs.

              It listened. The pounding and yelling ceased, but he could faintly hear talking from outside. That, too, eventually stopped, but by the time it had, Souda didn’t notice. It was muffled by his own crying, and he kept crying until he fell asleep.

\--( +::+ )—

              Gundam was also suffering in his own bout of despair.

              He laid on his bed, mulling over the events that had occurred during the daytime. He had accompanied Sonia for a few hours after his argument with Souda, but she had asked him numerous times if something was bothering him. He kept lying to her that he was fine. He hated it, but he didn’t want to bring it up; he just wanted it to pass like it never happened at all. He knew that she could see through his lies, which only made them sting even more.

              He later told Mikan to go check up on Souda. He did regret yelling at the timid nurse so harshly, but she was the only one who would do as she was told with no questions asked. He didn’t see her again after that, but he assumed that meant Souda was fine, which pleased him. He figured that since he was fine, then the conflict between them would merely be forgotten by the dawn of the following day. His theory pleased him and brightened his mood significantly.

              In the evening, however, he did see Sonia ask Souda to speak with her in her room, which worried him. She was probably going to confront Souda in regards to the conflict, and he couldn’t think of any other reasonable explanation at the time. He kept his distance from the two until they entered her private domain, where he stood idly by the door and eavesdropped on their conversation. He listened to Sonia’s explanations and concerns, knowing that she only had good intentions and wanted to help, but was concerned by Souda’s lack of responses.

When he heard Sonia’s panicked voice and ragged gasps, he burst through the door to see Souda having a panic attack and Sonia kneeling over him, unsure of what to do to help the poor mechanic. He knelt next to Souda and did the first thing that came to mind: he slapped him across the face and yelled at him to calm down. Since he didn’t shut the door, everyone obviously heard it crystal clear, and a few left their rooms to investigate the noise. His method worked, and Souda began to calm down.

He felt a tinge of relief when he saw the mechanic recover from his panic attack. He gingerly wiped the sweat and tears from his face with his scarf, and then Souda turned towards him, his eyes meeting the other’s gaze. That moment seemed like pure bliss for Gundam. After so much stress from their argument and this sudden panic attack, just seeing the other man’s calm face was enough to make him smile.

He didn’t expect him to bolt upright and dash out the door at a speed that could rival Akane’s when she was chasing Monokuma for a kabob he had. He ran past Twogami, who stumbled away from where he ran near him, and locked himself in his cottage. Sonia ran outside after him, soon accompanied by Twogami and several others. He eventually stood up and went to Soda’s cottage.

Most of the students were asking questions, mainly going to Sonia for an explanation. Akane was knocking on his door, yelling at him to come out. He went up next to her, but she didn’t turn to look at him. “Why won’t he come out? Do you know what happened, Gundam?” She asked him, pausing her knocking on his door.

He was about to reply when he heard a faint voice:

“Please, leave me alone… please…” Souda’s voice echoed through his head.

He would listen, and he would obey.

“Everyone leave. Now.” Gundam’s voice silenced all the others.

“Why should we? Can’t you see that Souda’s-“ Twogami was cut off by Gundam.

“ **He wants to be left alone**.”

The other male seemed to hesitate as he stepped away from Gundam, who was giving him a ferocious death glare. Everyone else understood that Gundam was being deadly serious, so they all went back to their dorms, not wanting to experience any wrath from the breeder. Usami was there, but she didn’t leave without giving him a worried look. Sonia walked up to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. “Gundam, if you ever need anything, just come to me. I just wish to help you and Souda.” She said reassuringly.

“I know.” He nodded as he solemnly walked back to his cottage.

Gundam only wanted Souda to be alright; he had great sympathy for the shorter man. He saw how he would hide his emotions behind a mask and barely have the courage be upfront about them to anyone. He himself has fallen victim to using a mask to hide from the world, but Sonia and Hajime had taught him just how joyful and happy life could be when he stopped hiding his true self from others. All he wanted was to help him, but his insecurities had spiraled their situation down into disaster. He wished that he could comfort the mechanic, but if Souda wanted to be left alone, then he would comply. He would probably be in a much more reasonable mood tomorrow. He tried to ignore the feeling of guilt that riddled his body, but to no avail.

And, now, here he was, in his bed with the feeling of angst and despair keeping him from escaping into a tranquil slumber. He didn’t bother to take of his clothes, nor did he bother to even slip under the covers; he just laid on the bed on his side, staring at the wall. His brain wasn’t in so much discord as Souda’s, but he still had despair weighing down on his spirit. He sighed and stroked his scarf gently, but he then paused his actions.

His Dark Devas of Destruction weren’t in his scarf. He couldn’t feel the small lumps of warmth in between the layers of fabric. He shot upright and quickly looked around the room until his eyes caught an object lying on the floor in the middle of the room.

A wrench…Souda’s wrench.

It was lying in the middle of the room, just barely visible in the moonlight from the window. His four Devas were standing behind it, looking at Gundam patiently. San-D was holding a slip of paper in his mouth, and the small creature scurried up the bed into Gundam’s lap to deliver it to him. Gundam grasped the paper in his hand and unfolded it to read the writing on it.

_Gundam, I know you mean well for Souda. I know you can help him. Stop hiding and believe in yourself, because I know that you can. You have the hope inside you, but you bottle it up so much. Stop hiding such beautiful hope and let it shine, not just for the world, but for those who need it. Souda has tried to mend the tear between you two, but despair has seeped into his mind and into his heart. You must help him. You have the hope to do it._

_Nagito Komaeda_

He held the paper in his hands, reading those words over and over again. He stood up and reached for the wrench, gripping it in his hand. He held it up, feeling the cold metal in his hand, and then he felt it. He felt his compassion for the mechanic surge at the presence of the wrench. It was overwhelming, and it caught him off guard as he stumbled backwards onto the bed. He felt his heart racing, but that didn’t matter. He held the wrench close to his chest and stared at the ceiling in disbelief. Those words were replaying in his head until finally, he realized what they meant.

_Souda has tried to mend the tear between you two, but despair has seeped into his mind and into his heart._

Souda had tried to make amends with him. Souda wanted to apologize. He cared about him.

And now he needed him.

His heart leapt with newfound esperance, and he jumped to his feet, scoping up his Devas and walking to the couch. On the couch was the shovel and pale from the beach, which he had ran off with after his feud with Souda. He grabbed it and ran out the door. He ran toward the gates, but he found Komaeda standing in the middle of his path. The luckster smiled at the breeder. “When you were at Souda’s door with Akane, I saw your eyes light up with hope. It was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. I’m glad that you’re willing to spread that hope to others who need it, and I’m honored that someone like me could see it firsthand.” He praised with a nod.

The taller male strolled up to Komaeda and clasped his shoulder. “Hopeful mortal, you have given me the strength to pursue this newfound quest of mine. Do not belittle yourself amongst me and your fellow peers, for you are just as strong as us. Your words of hope have enlightened me, and now I see what I must do! And for that, Komaeda, I thank you greatly! You shall definitely be a worthy ally to have!”

If Gundam’s hope wasn’t apparent, then Komaeda would have considered himself blind. His face was brimming with hope, and he had a large, triumphant grin that shined with hope. Komaeda felt like he was going to faint from the beautiful sight. “What are you two doing?” A voice called out from beside them.

They both turned to see Hajime standing in the doorway of his cottage, wearing plain, blue-striped pajamas. Gundam looked back at Komaeda, who seemed like he was… “enjoying” himself a bit too much. Gundam released Komaeda’s shoulder and stepped back slightly. The luckster was slightly hunched over and had his arms wrapped around his chest, gripping one another. Komaeda turned towards Hajime with a creepy smile on his face. “Hajime! You have to see Gundam’s hope! It’s so big and beautiful! I’m so happy to experience something this great!” Komaeda proclaimed in pure bliss and euphoria.

If Teruteru was awake, he’d be cracking so many innuendos. The other two tried their best to ignore the crude thoughts that sprouted from Komaeda’s words. “Okay, Komaeda, I get it, but please be more careful with what you say.” Hajime advised him.

“What do you mean? There’s nothing wrong with talking about hope so passionately. What was weird about what I-… Oh.” Komaeda snapped out of his daze after realizing how dirty his previous statement sounded.

“Well, at least it appears that no other mortals were woken by your sudden outburst.” Gundam remarked with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Anyway, why are you two still up? It’s nearly five in the morning.” Hajime asked.

“I must begin my quest to relieve Souda of the anguish that ails him! The hopeful one has inspired me to embark on this quest, and I was merely trying to thank him for his words of encouragement.”

“Really?”

“Indeed! Now I must go and collect the items I need to appease the poor mechanic.”

“I can help you, Gundam. Seeing you so full of hope is absolutely glorious. I would be honored to help you cheer up Souda.” Komaeda offered with a smile.

“Of course, hopeful one! Your help will surely aid me in my task! And what about you, pointed-haired mortal?” His gaze shifted to Hajime, who was somewhat surprised yet happy at Gundam’s cause.

“I guess I’ll join you guys, just let me change into my normal clothes first.” Hajime agreed as he stepped back into his cottage.

“Excellent! Now I just need to attend to one more issue before we can proceed. Usami! We require your aid!”

The bunny appeared before them, and she waved them a hello. “Yes, Gundam? What do you need?”

“I was hoping that you would grant us access to- “

“If it’ll help you with solving Souda’s problem, then I’ll gladly oblige.” She smiled at the breeder with understanding and happiness.

He stayed silent for a few moments before the confident grin returned to his face. “Ha ha! This is all so great! Now, we can begin our quest!”

“Gundam, I’m proud of you for standing up to help your fellow classmate. If you ever need anything else, just call.” Usami then left them to their own devices.

“Okay, I’m ready. So, where to first?” Hajime strolled out of his cottage, shutting the door behind him, wearing his normal attire.

“Come, let us go! We must discuss our plan and prepare our resources!” Gundam marched out the gates with determination.

Komaeda followed him without question, and Hajime trailed behind Komaeda with questions, such as: where was Gundam even leading them? Did he even plan this whole thing through? Did Komaeda do something to Gundam that has him so hopeful and confident? Hajime didn’t have time to ask any of his questions; he and Komaeda both needed to save his breath for trying to keep up with the now sprinting Gundam.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> May be a while until the next chapter is updated due to my busy schedule of homework, homework, video games, reading, and more homework


End file.
